The Hope Dove.
When Noah was on the arc and sent out the dove to find any kind of sign that their trial was coming to an end, he was overcome with hope when he saw the dove return with an olive branch (a sign of life). Hope is like the tangible olive branch: when you have it, it gives you eyes to see beyond the now into the unseen future and strengthens you to keep moving forward with determination with an expectation and desire for what is coming.
These four Doves are symbolic of the four different candles that are lit during the celebration of Advent, {Hope, Peace, Joy & Love} while the center star is representative of the fifth candle {Jesus}. Every December we would set up a wreath made of evergreen branches symbolizing everlasting life, and decorated with the candles that we would light progressively in the weeks leading up to Christmas. My dad would read a story reminding us of different ways to prepare our hearts for what was coming. Each story read would center around the theme of the candle we had lit. A story of Hope, or of Peace, or Joy, or Love. It always felt like an invitation to let all the business and fluff fall away and let the Holy Spirit come nudge our hearts to remember "Why do we celebrate? What do we celebrate? How do we Celebrate?”